QP Thursday: All about the money

“Canada has been one of the biggest contributors to refugee assistance around the world,” he said, responding to a question from NDP leader Thomas Mulcair about how many government-sponsored Syrian refugees have made it safely to Canada.

Then came the pivot. “The real question that Canadians are asking is when the NDP is going to return the public money that it took completely illicitly to use on partisan mailings and partisan offices under the guise of parliamentary spending,” Stephen Harper continued.

“The NDP knows, from top to bottom, that this was inappropriate, incorrect and fraudulent, and should do the right thing and return the money.”

A few questions later, as the prime minister wrapped up his response with another jab at the NDP, members around him began chanting and hitting their desks in sync.

“Pay it back! Pay it back!” the Conservatives shouted.

His was not the first and only pivot – and Thursday will likely not be the first and only day where we see this kind of thing in the House. We’ll be rolling into the summer recess with this pattern, so some context may be in order.

Wednesday had been all about the board of internal economy. Liberal leader Justin Trudeau wanted to open its doors, the NDP repeated its calls for reforms and tried to let media and the public into the BOIE meeting held Wednesday afternoon. And then, sometime after 6 p.m., John Duncan stepped in front of cameras.

“Today the Board has made decisions regarding its ongoing investigations into large volume mailings,” he said in the House of Commons foyer.

Duncan, the chief government Whip and spokesperson for the board of internal economy, noted that the board has been looking into the mailings, deliberated on the issue and has devised recommendations: one, that the NDP pay back $36,000 to the House and two, that the NDP owes Canada Post $1.13 million related to the use of franking privileges.

“The by-laws are clear,” Duncan said. “Members of Parliament are accountable for any use of House resources. As such, the House Administration has been directed to seek reimbursement directly from the Members.”

“House Administration will also inform Canada Post of the board’s determination regarding franking costs associated with ineligible mailings. The Board cannot compel Members to repay these costs, however it is incumbent on these Members to work with Canada Post to repay the $ 1.13 million,” he added.

That $36K is supposed to come from 23 NDP MPs. It’s unclear what will happen to the remaining $1.13 million that the board says the NDP owes – but Transport Minister Lisa Raitt has some suggestions of how things should unfold.

Tory MP Larry Miller asked Raitt – since Transport is resposible for Canada Post – what the government will do to make sure the NDP pays it all back.

The rules have been very clear, Raitt said. “It is not acceptable to use House of Commons resources to fund a party office or to send out party mail-outs. The NDP knows this. As a result, I expect that the party is going to pay back Canada Post.”

“But I also expect that those members will refuse to pay back Canada Post and that is why today I spoke to the CEO of Canada Post to ensure that he understood what was happening. He does. He takes it very seriously. Canada Post will be developing a plan to deal with the situation.”

The NDP has been quick to try and poke holes in the process. The board has become a “kangaroo court,” they’ve said. The BOIE no longer works on an honour system and the Conservative majority has put a dent in fundamental principles of democracy in this place. Opposition House leader Peter Julian said the board’s decision wouldn’t hold up in court and that the party will be seeking a judicial review.

The party later sent out a press release, pointing out that while Raitt has promised to direct Canada Post to “go after the NDP, as part of the kangaroo court findings by the Liberals and the Conservatives” – “she never showed much interest in intervening with Canada Post on their plans to stop home delivery.”

And to be fair, every question on the topic in QP would get a response from Raitt that went something like this: “Canada Post is an independent crown corporation and as a third party, is arm’s length from us.”

But maybe what isn’t so fair is the fact that none of us knows what goes on behind the closed doors of the BOIE (which the NDP will eagerly remind you is dominated by a Conservative majority).